Higher Ed Policy Roundup: Vol. 6 - Issue 8

On Wednesday, the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing titled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education” where Education Secretary Miguel Cardona testified on the Biden-Harris administration’s fiscal year 2023 budget request for the Education Department (ED). In his prepared testimony Cardona highlighted the investment that the administration is seeking to make in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), and the need for Congress to increase its investment in education. When asked by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT-2) about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver program, Cardona stated that the initial program wasn’t implemented well, and that ED was working hard to fix those issues. You can watch the full hearing here.

Who has student loan debt in America?

Biden-Harris administration plans to restore 7.5 million defaulted student loans to good standing when the payment pause ends.

A new study released by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) found that financial aid offices have been strained during the pandemic, including reduced capacity, higher staff turnover, and difficulty hiring new employees.

There were no relevant student-aid related bills recently introduced for consideration by the 117th Congress (2021-2022).